COURTNEY BOYD MYERS, co-founder, Beyond the Shoreline

Bored of beef jerky? New York City-based start-up Beyond the Shoreline​​ has an intriguing alternative: a plant-based mix of sugar kelp, mushroom stems, nutritional yeast, brown rice flour, sea salt and pea protein, which is hitting the market this year.

The vegan jerky – an emulsified, extruded and dehydrated product with a chewy texture, a savory flavor and 8g protein per serving – is designed to sit within the jerky set, rather than the seaweed snacks segment, and uses sugar kelp (brown macroalgae/seaweed farmed off the northeast coast of the US).

While it might sound like a niche opportunity, the fact that seaweed snacks are now sold in every major retailer in the US​​ proves that Americans are willing to try new things, while growing interest in plant-based proteins, and Millennials’ enthusiasm for brands with an environmental or social mission, also suggest Beyond the Shoreline has the potential to make it, says co-founder Courtney Boyd Myers (pictured above).